Do you still remember the goals you set for yourself in January? If not, here is the perfect opportunity to set new ones, and if you do, let’s do a check-in and see where we could improve! There are definitely some things I’ll be changing to accomplish my 2019 goals.

Say it with me friends. What do we want? SPRING! When do we want it? Four weeks ago, thanks for nothing February!!!!

As a Chicagoan, I truly couldn’t hate the month of February more. I know that’s so dramatic of me, but the -20 windchill gets very old once we don’t have Christmas to look forward to and spring weather is within grasp. So yeah, I’m pretty happy to be ushering in a new season. And with new seasons come new books!

Here is a little list of all the books I’m looking forward to hearing about, reading, and discussing with you all in the coming four months! I’d love to know what books you’re looking forward to as well. Leave me a comment below! :)

MARCH

Must Read Rationale: Taylor Jenkins Reid is nothing short of book-famous at this point for her iconic book, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. That book is spectacularly written and so touching, so I am pretty much ready to pick up anything of hers nowadays. This book has also been praised widely and happens to be a Reese Witherspoon book club pick. Im in!

Must Read Rationale: I love an interesting take on a very old idea, so a modern look at one of the darkest fairytales is very up my alley. Gingerbread is already getting a lot of critical attention and a few point out the strong female power that radiates through the book, which is my jam. The cover is also very beautiful, which I know shouldn’t change my opinions, but it does make me gravitate towards it!

Must Read Rationale: With this kind of book, I never want to know to much. But what I do know is that this book explores all the possible versions of ourselves (Ala Dark Matter perhaps?) and I love a metaphorical, dystopian, mind-bending look into what could have been. Very excited to pick this up soon!

Must Read Rationale: I am incredibly particular about thrillers because I have been disappointed TOO MANY TIMES by shit endings or problematic characters. Yet, I persevere because when I love a thriller, I LOVE that thriller. My Lovely Wife seems very promising, as it’s a bit of a Mr. and Mrs. Smith pairing, combined with two completely psychotic and murderous personalities. Will I sleep after I read this? Unlikely. Will I enjoy it? Let’s hope so.

APRIL

Must Read Rationale: This book sounds utterly mysterious, completely engrossing, and so unusually written and I can’t wait to read it. The narrator lives in Buenos Aires by her study of art takes her far away, both mentally and physically. I love a city-set tale and this one just sounds so odd I can’t pass it up!

Lie With Me: A Novel by Phillippe Besson, translated by Molly Ringwald

Publishing: April 30, 2019

Genre: LGBTQ Lit

Must Read Rationale: I read Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman last year and have essentially been on a journey to find a similar book ever since. I’m not saying these two are twins, but the vibe and the coming of age themes feel similar and I’m very excited to read it. I also have been trying to seek out more translated books since being exposed to the world of translation via book club earlier this year, so this fits the bill for that as well. The added randomness of Molly Ringwald as translator should be interesting!

MAY

Must Read Rationale: On first glance, this may seem oddly specific, but I love that kind of book. Anything than can look at something as random as a solo horse race and extrapolate out to a subject that can touch a city-dwelling person who hasn’t seen a horse up close in 10 years is my kind of book. It also seems to have some awesome themes of female power and perseverance, which I am always here for!

Must-Read Rationale: Let me give you the one single line that made me add this to my most-anticipated list: “Reveals the diversity crisis in children's and young adult media as not only a lack of representation, but a lack of imagination.” !!!! Are you so sold?? This sounds absolutely awesome and also like a much needed discussion we are already having and need to continue having in our bookish circles.

So there we have it. A handful of the books I’m looking forward to through May! I already cheated and started looking at summer books I can’t wait for, too, but we will save that for another time. ;)

This post includes some Amazon affiliate links. :) Shopping through this link gives me a small compensation for introducing you to a product, so feel free to use it when purchasing!

Do you still remember the goals you set for yourself in January? If not, here is the perfect opportunity to set new ones, and if you do, let’s do a check-in and see where we could improve! There are definitely some things I’ll be changing to accomplish my 2019 goals.

Hi friends! So, here we are, the third day of the year. Around this time, we are bombarded with everyone’s “new year, new me” proclamations and also lots and lots of “resolutions are pointless” commentary. I think either approach is totally fine, but I personally love any reason to take a look at life and consider what I can improve. January 1st is just a day, but it also usually comes after a much needed period of rest, relaxation, and connection with family and friends, which lays the groundwork for renewed motivation, goal-setting, and introspection. In a deeper way than just the beginning of a new calendar year, this period of energy is a really good time to assess life.

I did just that over the last week and was able to pick out a bunch of things I loved about 2018 by going through lots and LOTS of photos! I also considered all the main factors of my life and considered what was going well and what needed some work. From there, I came up with a few things I’d like to achieve in the upcoming year:

Be conversational in Turkish by December 31, 2019.

On day three of the year, I’m so excited about this one. However, I’ve started and stopped learning Turkish about 10 times by now, so I’m being realistic here and assuming I will be less excited in about three weeks. With that in mind, I am putting this one out in the universe so that I can be kept accountable! As many of you know, my husband was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey, so his first language and family’s language is Turkish. I’ve always loved the idea of being bilingual, but I haven’t put in the work to get there, so this is going to my year! Please send tips if you’ve learned a language, I need all the help I can get …. 😊

Steps to get there:

Daily Duolingo (a free app that gives daily lessons!)

Outside studying twice a week

Eventually, one English-free hour daily

2. Read 65 books

This number goal is less of a hard deadline, and more of a bar to make sure I’m still keeping my reading habit sharp and also as an assessment to make sure I’m still pursuing and enjoying my hobbies. I have a tendency to be a bit of a workaholic, so gotta have those checks. 😊 This year I read 60, so 65 seems like a worthy challenge.

3. Keep growing on Instagram

A year ago I would never guess that this would be a 2019 goal, but here we are! I’ve decided it’s best to shoot for the stars here and hope more book lovers come into my life this year. Still left to find on IG, there are many, many new friends, creative fulfillment, career opportunities, financial freedom, and LOTS more books to be read!

4. Take one real vacation with Murat

In my life assessment, I realized two things. One, we haven’t taken a real vacation since Paris / Germany etc. in the summer of 2016 and, two, if we want to travel, we have to do some serious planning. At this point in our lives, there are a LOT of hurdles to jump and I don’t know if this goal is realistic. Immigration takes a lot of time and resources, so we will see where this year takes us!

Steps to get there:

-Save from every paycheck, and know that in the end, that savings may need to be spent elsewhere

5. Continue finding passion and creativity in my career.

This last one doesn’t really warrant elaboration here, but I think we all have this goal in some way. Cheers to us for pursuing it!

That’s it! I’m not trying to change my whole life over here, I’m just trying to improve on the life I already love. Time to kick some 2019 booty. 😊 What are your goals for this year?